July 3
“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the Word, to speak the mystery of Christ…that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak” (Col 4:2-4). Sometimes we shrink from witnessing because we’re afraid of looking stupid; we fear we might not have all the answers. It’s good to look for helpful answers that thinking people ask. But it is also amazing to see how the Holy Spirit helps in providing answers just when we need them. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Ps...
Read MoreJuly 2
In Good News is for Sharing, Leighton Ford recounts: “I was speaking at an open-air crusade in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Billy Graham was to speak the next night and had arrived a day early. He came incognito and sat on the grass at the rear of the crowd. Because he was wearing a hat and dark glasses, no one recognized him. Directly in front of him sat an elderly gentleman who seemed to be listening intently…When I invited people to come forward as an open sign of commitment, Billy decided to do a little personal evangelism. He tapped the man on the shoulder and asked, ‘Would you like to accept...
Read MoreJuly 1
“The scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge” (Prov 1:22). “The new rebel,” writes G.K. Chesterton, “is a skeptic, and will not entirely trust anything…the fact that he doubts everything really gets in his way when he wants to denounce anything. For all denunciation implies a moral doctrine of some kind; and the modern revolutionist doubts not only the institution he denounces, but the doctrine by which he denounces it…The man of this school goes first to a political meeting, where he complains that savages are treated as if they were beasts; then he…goes on to a...
Read MoreJune 30
“God has spoken once, twice…” (Ps 62:11). Scottish physician W.P. Mackay remembered seeing his mother in agonizing prayer over his salvation. But it did not move him, and he grew increasingly godless. Years later, he treated a badly injured laborer. The man asked that his landlady be called, and to bring him “the Book.” Mackay was deeply impressed with the “happy expression constantly on his face.” After his death, a nurse asked, “What shall we do with this?” holding up the man’s Bible. Mackay wrote: “I took the Bible and—could I trust my eyes? It was my own Bible! The Bible which my mother...
Read MoreJune 29
The historical elements of the gospel are found in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ “for our sins” and the multitude of witnesses that join the documentary evidence of Scripture (1 Cor 15:3-9). The doctrinal elements of the gospel are found in Acts 20:21, “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” The practical elements of the gospel are found many places and described by many terms. They should not be thought of as cumulative, a growing list of requirements, but different ways of saying the same thing. “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame” (Rom...
Read MoreJune 28
“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 6:2). Dawson Trotman writes: The very first trip that I ever took on United Airlines was on a twelve-passenger Boeing plane. It was about a three-hour trip and I wanted to share Christ with someone, but it wasn’t until the last half hour that I got up the nerve to talk to the stewardess. She said, “Do you know I’ve never heard this message before?” She was a church member, but she didn’t know that Christ died for her. She thanked me for speaking to her about her need of personal salvation. Evelyn Sadino accepted...
Read MoreCalendar Archive
